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The inaugural Amazon Web Services (AWS) Kenya Education Conference 2022 held on November 8 at Radisson Blu Hotel, Nairobi, saw about 20 students graduate from the 2022 project re/Start upskilling program after completing a rigorous three months of training.

AWS, a global cloud heavyweight, has partnered with  thegovernment and public institutions to upskill, reskill and prepare individuals for cloud jobs, where more than 500 youths have been trained in the past two years.

One of the graduands, Winnie Muli, 22, a graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agricultural Technology (JKUAT) was optimistic that the skills gained from the training were going to propel her career to greater heights.

“I have learned a lot from the program and I wish our local universities could embrace the depth such training can go to. I feel am ready to work on the field and have a positive impact on the community,” said Ms Muli who is currently working as a Software Engineer.

For 50-year-old Ken Kagota, a beneficiary of the program, age doesn’t limit anyone from learning about concepts like cloud computing.

“I have been in IT for more than 25 years, but this training was an eye-opener. With the skills learned, am now able to even start a firm or invest wisely in the field,” added Mr Kagota who is a postgraduate with a Diploma from the National Institute of Information Technology (NIIT), India.

The conference targeted decision makers in state agencies under the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of ICT, research organizations, Edtech companies, publishers and representatives of leading academic institutions in Kenya.

AWS Regional Public Sector Lead for West, East and Central, Robin Njiru said AWS is on a mission to accelerate the digital transformation of education collaboration with Kenya’s education community which includes government, learners, educators, administrators, and researchers. “AWS is committed to improving the quality of education by providing flexible, affordable technology solutions for education.”

The company has also signed new partnerships with local training partners Computer Learning Centre (CLC), Moringa School and Zalego Academy to train youths for high-quality jobs in the technology sector.

These partners include Ajira Digital, Mastercard Foundation and GetINNOtized, who together with AWS are building an inclusive and diverse pipeline of new cloud talent in Sub-Saharan Africa by engaging unemployed or underemployed young people who otherwise might not have had access to this career path.

“AWS and the Ministry of ICT have joined forces to provide free foundational cloud content through Ajira Digital platform accessible to all citizens as well as in over 300 training centres across the country from early 2023,” added Mr Njiru.

Earlier this year, AWS launched an AWS re/Start, a cohort-based workforce development training program that prepares individuals for careers in the cloud and connects them to potential employers in Dadaab and Kakuma Refugee Camps in partnership with the Danish Refugee Council, where several refugees were trained and equipped with tech skills.

According to Gartner, more than 85% of organizations will embrace a cloud-first principle by 2025, where its revenue will surpass non-cloud revenue for relevant enterprise Information Technology (IT) markets. Analysts say the global cloud revenue is estimated to total $474 billion in 2022, up from $408 billion in 2021.